For historical background you can refer to the scenario, plus this article provides some campaign background:
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/last-ride-anzio-german-counterattacks-february-1944
We used the scenario for Operation Fischfang that was published on the FOW website. Here is the link to the scenario:
https://www.flamesofwar.com/Portals/0/Documents/Scenarios/Operation-Fischfang-Scenario.pdf
Terrain: The terrain is flat and open, with a raised highway, Route. 82, in no man’s land between the opposing forces. The raised highway passes over the perpendicular Anzio Road and a rail line via a “flyover” near the eastern end of the battlefield. The berms of the raised highway are impassible for vehicles within 6″ of the overpass (it is too high and steep at that point) but only require a cross check elsewhere. The crests of the berms and the rail line provide bullet proof cover against direct fire. All off-road movement requires a vehicle cross check due to the muddy ground conditions, and road dash is only possible on the main roads. The second floor of “The Factory” on the German baseline can see over the raised road for artillery observation. A few patches of woods are in the U.S. deployment zone. Otherwise all the terrain is open ground — the fields and marshes in the photos are merely table decoration.
Objectives: The scenario lasts seven turns by which the Germans have to capture one of the two objectives, or break the U.S. force morale.
The Americans were set up in the south in a long line across the table (given the lack of depth in their set up zone, they didn’t have much choice). From the American left to the right, they placed the 105mm battery, Assault Platoon (to the rear), 90mm AA guns, infantry platoon with two attached LMGs, 4.2″ mortars (to the rear), Weapons Platoon, and finally the 155mm battery. A M10 Tank Destroyer platoon, Sherman platoon, and one more infantry platoon were in delayed reserve. The U.S. also had an AOP and Priority P-47 support.
The Germans then set up in the north and decided to make their main effort against the American left, to take advantage of the highway underpass. The Elephant platoon arrived from reserve and moved at road dash speed along the Anzio Road toward the underpass. Two Grenadier platoons and one dismounted PzGrenadier platoon moved up to the crest of the berm, while the mixed PzIII and PzIV platoon moved up along the road. Artillery and mortars ranged in on the 105mm battery and 90mm AA guns but did no damage. The Stukas attacked the 155m battery and destroyed one howitzer, while the Messerschmitts were reserved for counter air. The U.S. shot back in their half of the turn and caused light casualties on the advancing German infantry.
The second turn was almost a replay of the first. The Panther platoon arrived from reserve, and followed the Elephants up the road. The Stukas claimed another 155mm howitzer. Two PzIII’s that had passed through the underpass were swiftly knocked out by the 90mm AA guns. The German Grenadier platoon on the far right advanced over the berm in order to be able to assault the 105mm battery in the next turn, and paid dearly, losing four teams to U.S. fire.
On Turn 3, the Tiger platoon arrived from reserve, and joined the parade of heavy armor up the road. German mortar and artillery fire shifted to the 4.2″ mortar battery and the assault platoon in the U.S. rear, and the Stukas eliminated the 155mm battery. Then the action heated up when all three German infantry platoons unpinned and used “follow me” orders to move into assault range (one failed the roll). The subsequent assaults saw the destruction of the 105mm battery and the 90mm battery. After consolidating, the Germans were in control of the objective, but the easternmost German platoon was very depleted. It was looking grim for the U.S., but the timely arrival of an infantry platoon from delayed reserve enabled the Americans to eliminate the weakened Grenadier platoon and retake the objective. Casualties among the other two German infantry platoons were also starting to mount. The P-47s arrived and bagged one Elephant.
On Turn 4, the last German reserves arrived, a PzGrenadier platoon in trucks. With the German commander desperate to maintain the momentum of the attack and running out of infantry at the front, two PzIVs were ordered to assault the recently arrived U.S. infantry platoon in the woods, which drove the Americans back to the U.S. baseline and retook the objective. The depleted PzGrenadier platoon moved laterally to the east to try to avoid direct fire, while the remaining Grenadier platoon was pinned down in no-man’s land facing the U.S. center. The Panthers and Elephant emerged from the underpass and spread out. In the U.S. turn, both the M10 TD platoon and the Sherman platoon arrived from reserve and engaged the German armor. Their fire only bailed a Panther and a PzIV, but at least the M10’s contested the objective. The P-47s tried to shoot up the German trucks but were driven off by the Messerschmitts.
The Germans started Turn 5 with the lone Elephant failing its morale check and departing before it fired a shot. German tank fire knocked out two M10s and one Sherman while the Tigers and PzGrenadiers shuffled forward. In the U.S. turn, the P-47s were again driven off (the Luftwaffe really earned its pay this day!). U.S. tanks killed one PzIV in the unequal exchange of fire across the objective, but time was running out for the Germans. (By now events on the rest of the field had no impact on the crucial sector of the battle, and the remaining turns there just saw continued mutual destruction.)
Turn 6 saw the Tigers adding their guns to the German firepower, which eliminated the M10s on the objective and claimed another Sherman. The Americans were left with three Shermans and a pinned infantry platoon on their left. The assault platoon in the rear sent one team forward in the woods to contest the objective while the Shermans knocked out the last PzIV.
On Turn 7 the Germans made their final push. The three surviving teams from the original PzGrenadier platoon, two Panthers, and one Tiger assaulted forward to seize the objective (the third Panther and second Tiger failed their cross checks). The newly arrived PzGrenadier platoon took up supporting positions on the German right. It would all come down to the final American counterattack, which came to naught. The U.S. infantry platoon and assault platoon failed to unpin, which left only three Shermans to make the assault. One Sherman failed its cross check, and the other two were destroyed by point blank defensive fire. A narrow German victory!
Scenario Analysis: Like all of Battlefront’s published scenarios, this one was interesting and well balanced. The Americans had abundant firepower, which made the battlefield very hazardous for the German infantry. The Germans had an unstoppable force of heavy armor, but barely enough time to use it. Casualties were heavy on both sides and the outcome of the game was undecided until the end — much like the historical battle (except the U.S. won in real life). So kudos to the scenario designers. The only thing that could have been better was the position of the objective, which, being very near the corner, left not enough space for the combatants to fight over it. One observer of the endgame quipped, “You guys only had to set up one square foot of terrain for this game!”
Some photos will follow once I transfer them from my phone to my laptop. For some reason they are not automatically flowing through the Cloud anymore.
- TJ